


Let Me Help You

by starsofyoursoul (Apothecary_Rose)



Series: TMNT Tumblr Posts [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt, but the others make brief appearances at the end, okay so mostly just Michelangelo and Karai, sibling feels, sorta happy sorta sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 21:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4196040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apothecary_Rose/pseuds/starsofyoursoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It was freezing cold, his t-phone was dead, and he was stuck in some unknown part of the sewer with his sort-of, technically sister who was semi-brainwashed into believing she wanted to kill him and his entire family." </p><p>Mikey and Karai get stuck somewhere and have an almost heart-to-heart.  </p><p>Vague Spoilers for 'A Deadly Venom.' A little angsty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Help You

**Author's Note:**

> Another tumblr prompt fill but I liked it so I thought I would post it here, like the other one. There are vague spoilers for 'A Deadly Venom.' It's not beta'd but I hope you enjoy it.

Well, that old TurtleLuck™ was certainly working true to form.

It was freezing cold, his t-phone was dead, and he was stuck in some unknown part of the sewer with his sort-of, technically sister who was semi-brainwashed into believing she wanted to kill him and his entire family.

They were also under a grate so they got a nice winter chill and freshly fallen snowflakes.

His sort-of, technically sister was also bleeding from her arm and had an injured leg that made it difficult to move. Which, Mikey figured, was probably why she hadn’t attacked him yet.

She did keep glaring at him from her position though and her weird-but-kinda-cool snake arm thing hissed at him whenever he tried to move closer.

He really only wanted to help, even though there wasn’t much he could do at this point. He himself was covered in bruises and he had injured his shoulder when he caught her mid-fall, which he thought had actually been a pretty stellar move on his part. Before, of course, he had lost his grip and his kusarigama dropped them both into the sewer.

But, hey, he had saved her. Sorta. They were trapped who knows where and he wasn’t really sure how they had gotten so far from the battle. And they were both injured. And Karai could still probably hurt him, he was sure.

Still, he tried to smile at her as he put his hands up in a gesture of good-will.

“Hey, I really think you should let me look at that.” The weird-but-cool snake hissed at him again and he let out a weak chuckle. “I mean, sure, I know I’m no Donnie but I still know a thing or two about first-aid.”

“Like I said before, I don’t need nor do I want your help.” Her eyes narrowed further, if that was even possible. Honestly, Mikey was surprised they were still open.

“Oh, c’mon, what’ll it hurt?” He turned up his best, most charming smile he had in his arsenal. In those brief moments she had been a part of their family, when she had called herself his sister, it had seemed to work on her just as it did on April. It been a long while since then, he knew, and she had been through much, _too much_ , but he hoped against everything that she was still in there, that she remembered. Remember when she had laughed at his silly jokes, when she had smiled warmly at his attempts to make her breakfast, when she had sat in their dojo as if it was _home_ and she had always belonged there, with them, with _her family_.

Even now, as she glared at him, her body tensed as though at any moment he might try to harm her, Mikey knew, he just _knew_ she still had to be in there.

“You can totally trust me, Turtle’s Honor.” That probably wouldn’t convince her of anything, but he kept going. “We’ll call it a truce, I don’t mean you any harm. Why do you think I caught you?”

He had meant the question to be one of genuine warmth, but confusion crossed her face for a brief moment and then she looked away sharply. He tilted his head, the curve of his smile dwindling just a little. But only a little.

“Why do you think I caught you?”

“I…” she hesitated, which seemed to surprise her as much as it did him. “Because you’re an idiot.”

Her response was only half-filled with venom and Mikey could sense her genuine confusion. He shifted a little closer, hands still up. She still watched him with sharp eyes but Mikey could tell by her face that her confusion was giving way to doubt and that he just might have a chance at glimmer of the old Karai.

“Ha, no. That’s just my cover.” He winked at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m actually secretly a genius. Just don’t tell Donnie, he gets touchy about that sometimes.”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“But seriously,” he smiled warmly at her. “It’s because I care about you.”

She scrunched up her nose at that, probably to sneer at the notion but Mikey saw something else on her face. Barely there, but he would swear on his entire collection of Crognard VHS tapes that she had looked, for the briefest of moments, moved by his words. But then it was gone.

“Oh, really? Isn’t that sweet.”

“It’s true!”

She scoffed at him. “Why should I believe that?”

“Because we’re family.” His voice was gentle but he had inflected as much conviction in that statement as possible.

“We are not-” she began angrily.

“We are.” He said. She was surprised, he could tell, that he had cut her off. And perhaps by how serious the look on his face was. “We’re your family, Karai. I’m your brother. You don’t remember because Shredder did some freaky brainwash worm thing on you, like he did with Raph and the Mutanimals. But it’s true.”

He lowered his hands slightly, and tried to pour as much of his compassion and love in his voice. She was still staring at him, a mixture of hatred and confusion warring on her face.

“I know it’s hard to hear right now. I know you’ll need to figure out for yourself, like you did before.” He shifted a little closer, still smiling just as warmly and his voice still as gentle.“And that’s okay. I don’t mind waiting, none of us do. Not if it means we get you back. We’ll wait for you, as long as it takes. Cause that’s what families do.”

She was trying to hide it but he could tell his words were having an affect on her. She swallowed hard.

“But until then, please, Karai. Let me help you.”

She continued to stare at him but the snake didn’t hiss at him as he inched closer. Slowly, he had made it over to her. Her body was still tense and she watched all of his movements but her eyes were full of emotion and Mikey counted it all as a total _win_.

Glancing over her quickly, he figured he couldn’t do much for her leg but he could at least stop the bleeding in her arm.

He slowly untied his mask. Then he reached for her arm. Her eyes narrowed again but she let him pull towards him. She flinched as he put pressure on it but was quiet as he tied his mask tightly around it.

“There. That should do for now.” His smile towards her was one of warmth and brotherly affection. She neither smiled nor frowned at him. She just merely looked at him with that same mixture of anger and confusion and maybe, possibly he thought some sadness too. They looked at each other for a few moments and he tried not to think about how vulnerable he felt without his mask. Only his brothers and his father ever really saw him without one, occasionally April and Casey. So, really, it probably helped given that it was the kind of gesture he would make around his family. He hoped that she would somehow know that.

They sat in silence for a while. He was growing tired and he could tell that she was too but neither was willing to fall asleep. He didn’t know what to say, which was mondo strange for him he had to admit but she was letting him sit next to her, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, like he and his brothers do, and it was so much almost like family that he didn’t want to risk breaking the moment.

“You know,” he began softly after a time. “You could come back with us. If you wanted.”

“Come back with you?” She raised her eyebrow in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

“You know when my brothers come to get me. You could come home with us.” Raph would have a field day probably but she was injured and she was still their family, so he’d grumble but go along with it anyway. Cause Mikey knew he cared, too.

“What makes you so sure they’re gonna find you?” Her voice was skeptical and maybe a little sharp still but it felt like there was less bite.

“Because they’re my brothers,” he said matter of factly. “And that’s-”

“What families do?” she gave him a look as though she couldn’t believe he was that stupid but there was something in her voice that suggested maybe she wanted to be that stupid, too.

“Well, yeah.” He smiled up her, brightly.”What do you say?”

Her immediate reaction was to scoff again. “Though you said you wanted me to figure it out by myself?”

“Well,” he began, his smile faltering a little. “I said I knew you’d need to figure it out by yourself. Cause I know no one can force you and stuff. And I just thought, that it might help. You’d be free to leave whenever you wanted and you could see for yourself, that we all really do care about you. Even Raph. And I want to help you. As much as you’ll let me.”

She stared at him skeptically and then she looked painfully thoughtful.

“I…” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t a yes but it filled him with hope all the same and nothing it seemed could dampen the brightness of his smile.

**

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before they heard a sound. He looked up hopefully, as shadows passed over the grate. His hopes were quickly dashed however when the voice of Tiger Claw drifted down, calling for her.

Karai looked up and opened her mouth.

“Karai.” Mikey whispered. She stopped and looked at him for a moment. The emotions were warring across her face. He looked at her, his eyes big and blue. He didn’t know what he wanted to say. He didn’t want to pressure her cause he totally meant it when he said they would wait for her. But he had hoped so much that she would come back home to their family, that he felt a wave of fear and panic wash over him. He implored her with his best honest, baby brother face.

She seemed to struggle before making her decision.

“I’m down here, Tiger Claw!” She managed to call up. Mikey sighed sadly and began to inch a way from her, into the shadows.

“Are you injured?” Was the response as the sound of the grate being moved reached his ears.

Mikey froze. He and Karai maintained eye contact, her face still hard and fierce.

“Some.” she said, her voice cold. She looked at the mask on her arm, now soaked in her blood and ripped it off. She threw it towards Mikey, who caught it and continued to move further back into the shadows. She turned her gaze from him as Tiger Claw dropped down with a rope. Mikey watched them as she demanded to be taken out of there as soon as possible and Tiger Claw growled a little but then they were gone.

Mikey stayed hidden where he was until he was sure he heard their feet walking away and then the sound of a motor driving away.

And then stayed in the shadows until what felt like an hour must have passed.

He moved back to the light from the grate. It wasn’t terribly bright, he suspected it was either because it was getting dark or just the typical dark of winter.

It was still freezing and there was nothing but snow to curl up in. He stayed under the grate, anyway.

Clutching his mask tightly in his hand, he felt his emotions begin to overwhelm him as his could feel the pressure of tears build up. He knew it was a long shot, that she wouldn’t change her mind so quickly. And he believed what he had said to her about letting her figure it out herself. But there had been such a glimmer of hope and he had clung to it.

He had foolishly begun imagining what their homecoming would be like, that somehow his kindness and compassion and conviction had been enough to remind her, to help her. Then they would have gotten back and the comfort and warmth of home would have further proved it to her. And she would find her way back to the Karai that they knew, their sister and friend and he would have a family that was whole and big and warm and content again.

He couldn’t help himself and the tears began to fall quietly down his cheeks, his shoulders shaking against his will.

**

When his brothers finally found him, he was freezing and tired and crying. They had pulled him out carefully. Leo had wiped a thumb across his face and rubbed his head before climbing into the driver’s seat of the van. Donnie had checked over all of his injuries and then wrapped him a warm blanket. Raph had then put his arm around him and they sat that way until they got home.

No one asked him about the mask nor why he had been crying but then they entered the lair and Master Splinter was there with four cups of warm tea on a tray in front of the TV.

At the sight of his youngest, he had moved quickly towards them, his hands outstretched.

Mikey had stopped before him, however, and held out his Mask in trembling hands.

“I’m sorry, Sensei.” He said, his tears beginning anew. Splinter took the mask, confused and concerned, before pulling Mikey into his arms.

“I tried.” He buried his face in his father’s chest, his fingers gripping his robe, as a few more tears spilled out. “I thought she would but then she left. But I tried to bring her back home to us.”

Master Splinter’s face softened, with a mixture of sadness and love, and he wrapped his arms more tightly around his youngest boy and rubbed his head affectionately.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really intrigued by the addition of Karai as a sister and since Mikey is my favorite, I have a particular soft spot for their sibling relationship. And just a general soft spot for the whole Turtle Family dynamic. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment, they are most appreciated!


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